The present invention relates generally to computer memory, and more particularly to an active buffered memory system.
Computer systems often require a considerable amount of high speed memory, such as random access memory (RAM), to hold information, such as data and programs, when a computer is powered and operational. Memory device densities have continued to grow as computer systems have increased in performance and complexity.
Communication from a main processor to locations on dense memory devices can require additional power due to longer signal paths resulting from the increased density. In addition, increased power consumption within high density memory devices can lead to temperature management issues. Further, data access times and latency associated with data operations are increased while effective bandwidth between the main processor and memory are reduced due to the distance between the processor and memory. The longer signal paths may also allow for more chances for corruption or data errors during data transmission between the main processor and memory. Accordingly, the increased density of memory devices may result in undesirable power consumption and reduced performance due to the distance between the system components.